Pakistanthe journey of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 underwent a dramatic decline and the former India comprehensively Irfan Pathan added fire to the conversation. After Pakistan’s narrow defeat Englandtheir hopes of reaching the semi-finals have turned into a mathematical miracle. Pathan did not hold back, targeting sections of the Pakistani media, accusing them of putting undue pressure on their players.
With only one point from the first two matches – an opening match abandoned by rain New Zealand and a heartbreaking loss to England – Pakistan now rely on other results and favorable conditions to stay alive in the tournament.
Taking to social media platform X, Pathan criticized what he called the “troll media”, suggesting that the constant scrutiny and negativity was hurting Pakistan’s ability to function under pressure.
According to Pathan, the same voices that taunt India after rare defeats often fall silent when Pakistan stumbles. He stressed that this double standard creates a toxic environment for players who are already dealing with the intense expectations of a global tournament.
His comments have sparked widespread debate among fans from both countries, with many agreeing that too much criticism and sensationalism can take a toll on athletes during high-stakes competitions.
“This Pakistan team doesn’t handle pressure well. Pakistan’s struggles have a lot to do with their own troll media. They don’t support the team sincerely, they put them under a lot of pressure. It’s all about ‘achieving’ for them. When India lose (which is rare), they fill up India’s social media timeline (which is rare), but when they lose their team, they disappear like mice. While working on this particular game. In X, Pathan wrote.
This Pakistan team does not handle pressure well. Pakistan’s struggles also have a lot to do with its own troll media. They don’t really support the team, they keep them under a lot of pressure. All this is to “reach” them.
They flooded the Indian social media…
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 24, 2026
Also READ: T20 World Cup 2026: Shaheen Afridi explains why Pakistan lost to England in Super 8 clash
Pakistan’s campaign is hanging by a thread
Pakistan’s path to the semi-finals is now extremely complicated. Even if they win their last match in the group stage Sri Lankathey can reach a maximum of three points. Meanwhile, England has already confirmed the qualification for the semi-finals with four points.
The remaining qualifying battle is between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, both of whom still have two games to play. For Pakistan, it is no longer just about winning, but hoping for other results to fall into place perfectly.
Such scenarios are never comfortable for teams. Instead of controlling its own destiny, Pakistan now looks forward to outcomes beyond their control.
